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by Darknightjess (orphan_account), jay_linden



Series: Baby Can I Hold You [2]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-18
Updated: 2009-11-18
Packaged: 2017-10-03 07:49:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Darknightjess, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_linden/pseuds/jay_linden





	Home

_It is speculated that all of the cosmos is nothing more  
Than a loosely grouped cluster of molecules  
That are held together by the tentative mutual attraction  
Of our individual matter_

Craig paces, flipping his phone open and closed a few times. He stops and stares at the screen before scrolling through a few names and hitting the dial button.

Viggo's rasping voice starts speaking instantly, as soon as the phone clicks on after the first ring. "When do you know your name when.. no one listens to you? The rain sings on the tin roof plates, the dreams of yesterday, every drop stopped by the kitchen roof where I dream with the cat on my lap. " A shrill "BEEP" follows.

A moment of silence and then Craig snorts. "Jesus Viggo." He says. "It's Craig and I need you to talk me off a proverbial ledge. Call me."

There's a slight fumble as the phone is lifted off the cradle and clicked on, Viggo clearing his throat before speaking. "Craig?"

"Hey. Screening, huh?" Craig asks, smiling. "The fangirls tracked you down?"

"Change fangirls to hobbits plus one elf, and you've got it," Viggo yawns, stretching out on the couch, then frowning and sitting up, moving the paintbrush off the couch and letting it drop to the floor, then laying out again. "They've been making prank calls for three days now."

Craig laughs, shaking his head. "I think they'll still be doing that when they're forty. So, you got a minute?"

"For you, Craig, I have a minute in multiples. What's going on?"

"God, how fourteen year-old girl am I going to sound?" Craig mumbles and then takes a breath. "David left me, and I want to go to London and either beg him to come back or punch Bean in the nose and I'm not sure why I want to do either because I'm not sure I'm that upset about it and that is what makes me a bit - queasy."

Viggo blinks, surprised at first to hear that David had left Craig, then suddenly much less so when Craig mentions wanting to punch out Bean. _They really thought they were fooling everyone. Likely because for the most part, they were._ "I really am sorry to hear it, Craig," Viggo says, sympathy, and not pity resonating in his voice. "Take a few more deep breaths... maybe get yourself a glass of water, then come talk to me."

Craig tucks the phone between his ear and shoulder and walks into the kitchen to pour a cup of tea. "He never lied to me about anything. David is a seriously honest man, to a bloody fault."

"And you're kind of wishing he had lied, huh?"

"Yeah." Craig chuckles, a dry serious sound. "I knew he was - trying to - I don't know, get over maybe, Sean when he and I got together. But I thought it was just, something he would, grow out of." The chuckle this time slides into a sigh.

"Did you know that they'd... I don't even know what to call it, really," Viggo furrows his brow. "They certainly weren't going out. Just kind of 'with' each other. What happened?"

"I don't know." Craig says piteously. "They had a thing according to David. It ended, not badly, just ran out of time and place." He carries his tea into the living room and sits. "And then at the Premiere, I don't know, David says they were together again. He was so dreadfully honest about it. He told me he needed a few days to think about it and then he came to me and said he needed to see, see if there was something there. So he jumped a plane."

Viggo's shaking his head by the end of it, rubbing the heel of his hand against his forehead. "Dreadfully honest has its place and all... I'm sure he meant well, but it really wasn't necessary," he sighs. "When did he leave?"

"Yesterday." Craig says. "It's taken me twenty-four hours to stop walking around going 'buh buh'." He chuckles. "God, I sound daft."

"No... you sound lost. And hurt. Probably a little pissed too." Viggo sits up, switching ears on the phone. "So when you say they got together in London... you don't mean for coffee, do you?"

"No." Craig says, shaking his head. "David said that he needed to know, to see if they still - fit. Guess they did."

Viggo checks an angry sigh, blinking in surprise at the surge of protectiveness and, well, anger that swells up in him. "It's not a reflection on you, Craig. Nothing you did or didn't do," he says, his voice gentle.

"I'm trying to believe that. And I know that I shouldn't dump this on you. I just needed to talk." Craig's tone lightens. "How have you been anyway?"

"Well, other than prank calls from the younger set..." Viggo trails off, laughing softly, "I'm good, Craig. You don't have to apologize."

"Thanks. It's just - I wasn't counting on David being forever, now that I think about it. It was nice though." Craig sighs.

"Why weren't you thinking that he'd be forever?" Viggo asks, raising an eyebrow at himself as he identified the 'oh so casual' tone in his voice. _What the hell is that about?_

"I - just - it wasn't." Craig laughs. "It was great. But it wasn't..."

"Craig- really, you've got to finish your sentences, because as good as I am at making up the rest of the story..." Viggo lets his own sentence trail off as he gets up off the couch, heading for the kitchen.

Craig laughs. "Okay, Okay." He sighs, still smiling. "I could tell that it wasn't forever. That he wasn't - home. Bloody hell, how twee does that sound?"

"You never really stopped looking for it, did you?" Viggo murmurs as he searches through the fridge, not quite realizing that he's speaking out loud.

"No." Craig says and rubs the bridge of his nose. "I just - that feeling of - this being someone you could just be with; talk to and hang out with and laugh with, and everything else too."

"Do you think it's really out there, or do you think that everyone just circles. Never quite lining up, the right person, the right time. Constantly looping," Viggo murmurs, pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge and twisting the cap off.

"I gotta believe it exists." Craig says and sits down, stretching his legs out. "Maybe the key is recognizing it - them."

"Them? You're looking for pluralities now, Craig? And I thought that was just Karl, Orlando and Harry," he muses, taking a long sip from the bottle of water.

Craig laughs. "No, I'll leave that to the experts. Just one. Just one person that I know wants me, just only me." He sighs and picks at a seam on the couch. "What about you?"

"I haven't really thought about it that much." Liar.

"Happy being footloose and fancy free, huh?" Craig asks. "Guess it's a good thing. I think maybe...."

"No, not really. I think somewhere along the way I've just turned into an eccentric and cynical old man."

"Viggo, you were always eccentric, that's nothing new - that or the cynicism. But you aren't old, you're distinguished." He laughs.

"Actually, yeah... I'm not sure I was all that much different when I was twenty," Viggo admits, chuckling at that. "And distinguished? You're just asking for it now, aren't you?"

Craig laughs, scooting down on the couch and laying his head back. "I had forgotten how easy it was to talk to you - or rather to listen to you." He chuckles.

"This is a pretty expensive phone call just to listen to me talk at you. I thought you were calling because you needed to talk," Viggo smiles.

"Ah well, I can mope around here and listen to myself whine anytime."

"Well, don't do that then. Call and whine to me. Anytime." The sincerity in Viggo's voice is obvious.

_And this theory is the foundation  
Upon which you and I have built our entire existence,  
But when I cradle your head to my chest  
And listen to the deep slow cadence of your breathing  
And I feel the heat of you against my skin_

"You're a good man Mr. Mortensen." Craig smiles. "But then I knew that back in Wellington." His voice is softer.

Viggo's smile softens. "That was -" he's not even sure what the right word for it is. Fun? Great? "special."

"Special?" Craig chuckles. "Yeah, it kind of was. I - uh - yeah."

"Why didn't..." Viggo shakes his head. "No. Sorry, forget it."

"What? C'mon, what?"

"Why was it only once?"

Craig chews his lip a second before answering. "I - I thought that's all you wanted."

"Why?" Viggo's voice goes impossibly soft.

"Christ, you could have had anyone. You're amazing." Craig says, leaning into the phone against his ear.

"What the... how does that explain anything?" Viggo's sounding confused now. "I could have anyone, so how does that translate to me not wanting you?"

"I - me? But - yeah?"

"Yeah. But I didn't think you..." Viggo sighs. "I shouldn't be telling you this now."

_I know that if all of these speculations  
Were proven to be false  
And all of creation was to suddenly wink  
Out of existence_

"Viggo, you aren't telling me anything now." Craig chuckles. "You aren't talking. What? Please." He says in a quiet voice.

"I didn't think it was what you wanted." _I didn't think I was what you wanted._ "I thought you wanted Dave."

"So did I." Craig says and then laughs. "Ah shite, Viggo."

"You thought you wanted Dave, or you thought I... all right, now I'm just confusing myself."

Craig continued to laugh. "I think I'm an idiot. I wasted - a lot of - things, time." He sighs, still chuckling. "Thanks Vig, I feel better I guess. I hope Dave and Sean have a great life. I'm glad they found each other again."

"Well, I'm glad I've gotten you off that proverbial ledge you were talking about," Viggo says, smiling softly, glad to hear Craig laugh. "All about timing, I suppose. The right time, place, person."

Craig listens to the rumble of Viggo's voice and feels a warmth in his chest. He holds the phone close. "Right person." He says softly.

"Right time," Viggo adds, his voice quiet. "And right place."

"Right." Craig says barely above a whisper. "It - it was right, wasn't it?"

There's a long pause on the other end of the phone. "Yes."

"Yes." Craig repeats, a soft smile on his face.

"Yes," Viggo echoes, looking distant for a moment as he stares across the room, then coming back to himself, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Craig?"

"Yeah Vig?"

"Come home."

"Okay." Craig says and feels the hard thud of his heart in his chest. "I - Viggo, I -."

"I know." He smiles wider, even though Craig can't see it. "I know. I'll be here waiting."

_The only thing to remain  
Would be you and I   
And the steady rhythm  
Of our hearts beating as one._


End file.
